St Patrick’s Day at the Arts Club
A lively mix of Irish Dance, Music and Spoken Word
Followed Corned Beef & Cabbage Lunch
This event is postponed and will be rescheduled to a date later in the spring.
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
$32 member - $40 public*
11:30 am – An Irish coffee reception
12:00 pm – Dance, music, and spoken word performance
1:00 pm – Arts Club luncheon featuring Irish menu and Irish coffee
Irish step dancers from the Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance will present a dynamic range of step dances backed by traditional Irish music provided by members of the Mitchelstown Trio. Both groups are highly regarded in Washington’s traditional Irish culture circles.
Irish step dancing, unique to Ireland and marked by vigorous rhythm and rapid lively stepping, became known internationally two decades ago with the success of Riverdance.
Intertwined with the music and dance will be a lyrical spoken word presentation called Enchantments of an Irish Boyhood, by poet Michael Whelan.
Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance. For over 20 years, the Culkin School has gained a great reputation for its high standard in performance and competition Irish dance. They are the “go to” Irish dance program for the Irish Embassy, Kennedy Center, Strathmore Hall, Wolf Trap, BlackRock, National Geographic, and many other Irish and local cultural organizations and festivals. They have performed with the notable Irish bands such as The Chieftains. Their dances include reels, jigs, slip jigs, hornpipes, and traditional sets.
Dennis Botzer, fiddle, guitar, whistle, vocals and piano, has released three CDs for traditional Irish music on piano and fiddle, entitled Visions of the Light, The House, and 19P. A long-time contributor to the Washington Irish music scene, Dennis co-hosts Irish sessions at McGinty’s Pub and in Arlington at McNamara’s Pub
Pam Bozzi, concertina and bodhran, is deeply enmeshed in the Washington community and has contributed many new tunes to the repertoire. She was a dancer with the old-time Footloose Cloggers group for a number of years. Her concertina mentors are Alex Boatright and Dr. Gearoid O hAllmhurain.
Michael Whelan, a first-generation New York City Irish American, has written widely about the Irish experience. His Enchantments of an Irish Boyhood was first published in The Washington Post and subsequently over the years in The Boston Globe, The LA Times, The Irish Echo, and Irish Central. A set of Whelan poems on the late major Irish poet and novelist Dermot Healy appeared in Éirways magazine. Whelan won first prize in the juried Leitrim Guardian 2012 Literary Awards. His work has also appeared in The Innisfree Poetry Journal and The Galway Review. A recent poem by Whelan was published in The Wallace Stevens Journal ofJohns Hopkins University Press.
Dress code: business casual
Metered 2-hour street parking. Garage parking nearby on 20 St. NW
For more information please call (202) 331-7282 ext 120
Online payments are non-refundable. Paid tickets can be canceled online for an account credit until 7 pm on 5/16. Members can cancel their reservation without a penalty until the day before the event.
